Growing Up In A Hurry
by That Deranged Pixie
Summary: Thor wants nothing more than to prove he's no longer a child. To do this, he plans to venture out of Asgard,taking his little brother with him. To make Thor wait, Loki claims he is not yet grown up enough to be ready to leave the safety of home. But what happens when Thor's impatience gets the better of him, and he decides it's time for Loki to grow up in a hurry and leave anyway?
1. Another Argument

**Author's Notes: My first story on here, but I'm puting a lot of work into it. So, I hope it turns out okay. Any advice or (friendly) criticism is welcome. But I hate planning my stories ahead of time, because it takes the fun out of it for me. So, we'll just have to see how this turns out. Worth a shot, right?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

There was a time when Thor and Loki were young, little more than children, during which they got along quite nicely. Of course, they had a few squabbles, but don't all siblings at some time or other? But for the most part, they were the best of friends. They studied together, trained together, spent a lot of their free time together. This was a time before Loki was consumed with his jealousy and wish to rule. He always tried to prove he was just as good as his brother, but he was good natured enough about it. Also, at this time, Thor enjoyed showing off, especially in front of his younger brother, but he also would have done anything to protect him.

Now that they were getting older and were no longer considered to be children by most, Thor wished to prove to all of them that he was truly a man now. He jumped at any chance he could get to prove himself. However, Odin was still hesitant to allow his son to jump into adulthood too quickly, for Thor still possessed the over-eager recklessness of his childhood. Thus, Odin refused to allow Thor to go beyond the boundries of Asgard in his various exploits. Thor argued this to no end, but always in vain; he ever failed to sway the All-Father's mind. Ambtious as he was, Thor pushed his limits as far as he could without disobeying Odin. And often drug Loki along with him for the fun.

Loki was perfectly content to stay peacefully in Asgard. At this time, he had no such wish to venture outside his home and seek out unnecessary perils. But he followed Thor, anywhere his brother wished him to go. He had to go. If he didn't it would show him to be lesser than Thor, and he couldn't have that, now could he? Plus, he didn't wish harm to come to his brother while he was away. Loki knew Thor could get ahead of himself sometimes, and it was Loki who had to talk sense into him and often get him out of trouble.

One day after yet another argument with Odin about being allowed to leave Asgard, Thor stormed out of the throne room in anger. As he walked through random hallways with no real idea of where he was going, Thor muttered to himself angrily about not being trusted and how Odin insisted on treating him like a child. When he finally came to a stop, he was outside in one of the gardens. Thor just stood there for a long while, glaring out at the setting sun.

As day faded to night and the air grew chill, Thor's temper began to settle, somewhat. It was only now that he noticed, he was not alone. He couldn't even begin to guess when his company had joined him or how long he had stood there simply listening to Thor's rants about his father. But he guessed he shouldn't be surprised, his brother was always there when Thor needed him. Loki stood quietly next to Thor and waited for the appropriate time to try to reason with his brother. He always did. And it worked, for the most part. Thor's need to leave Asgard would be put at bay for a time, but no matter how much that silvertongue worked his magic, the desire to prove himself always won Thor over again sooner or later.

But today would be different. Thor had already made up his mind about it. Loki would not convince him otherwise this time. Thor was going to venture outside Asgard, with or without the All-Father's permission.

"Thor-"

"Be quiet, Loki. You shall not be able to calm me this time. I've had enough of this. I am no child to be locked away in Asgard for mine own protection."

"Locked away? You are free to roam Asgard as you please. Father only asks that you do not stray too far from home before you are ready."

"But I am ready! Why can he not see that? What more must I do to prove myself to him?"

"I do not know..."

The silence hung between them, heavy and smothering. Thor's anger still burned in his veins as he looked out towards the bridge he so longed to cross, the Bifrost barely visible in the dim light of the stars. Loki tried to think of a new way to try to appease his brother's horrible longing to leave home, but he was nearly out of excuses. He believed Thor was ready to go out and take on the greater challenges of another realm, and Thor certainly believed he was. Perhaps it was Odin who was not yet ready for his son to venture forth and into the face of danger; perhaps it was Odin who was not yet ready to see his son grow up. But Loki knew Thor would never go along with that idea. But one idea did inspire another...

"Perhaps your readiness to leave is not truly what is in question here, brother."

"No? Not me? Then what fool do you suppose it is I must wait for to be able to prove MY worth?" Thor was far from amused by Loki's persistent attempts to disuade him, and in his anger, almost wished his brother would just leave him alone for once.

"Me..." Loki paused, watching confusion temporarily overrule Thor's anger. "If you were to venture out beyond Asgard, would you not take me with you? Would you not wish me to accompany you in your new adventures? Or did you intend to leave me behind, forgotten..." Loki's voice trailed off at the end. He looked at Thor with sad eyes like someone who just realized he was to be abandoned by his dear brother.

"No, Loki! Of course I would take you with me! I couldn't very well leave you behind to be stuck here, and I certainly couldn never forget about you.. Why do you speak such nonsense?"

At this the sad look in Loki's eyes was quickly replaced with the glint of a slight hope. "And that is why you must wait. Please, Thor, understand. While you may be ready to go out and face these challenges, I am not. I am younger than you are and not so ready to be leaving home. I still have some growing up of my own to do."

Thor sighed heavily. This he believed. His younger brother was more timid than he, and it would take more time and great persuasion to convince him to leave his home. He would rather study his magic books than go out and apply what he had learned. What use he saw in this, Thor would never understand.

But, of course, Loki had been right. Thor would wait for his brother to be ready to leave with him, for he would not go without him. "Very well. I suppose you've made your point, little brother. Continue your studies. Do your growing up. I will wait for you before I take my leave." Thor couldn't help but let a smile creep across his face as he saw the way Loki's eyes lit up with this news.

"Thank you, brother." Loki smiled and turned towards the doorway. "Now, we should likely be going back inside now. It is late, and we should get some rest."

Thor simply nodded his agreement and followed as Loki walked inside. Without another word, the two walked back into their home and went their separate ways. Thor's anger had been subdued for now and had left him tired.

As Loki layed down to sleep he felt both proud and humiliated at the same time. He may have successfuly manipulated Thor into accepting his reasoning, but it had meant having to admit inferiority to his brother. He didn't like that at all, even if no one else had been there to witness it. He tried to push the distasteful thought away and instead be content in the fact that Thor had promised to wait. Thor would not start his new adventures until Loki told him that he believed he had grown up enough to be able to make the journey as well. The thought of possibly having put an end to this foolishness at last was comforting. And with that, Loki fell asleep.


	2. Unexpected Failure

**Author's Notes: Writer's block... . This chapter was so much harder to write than it should have been.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

The next few days were quiet. There was no more arguing, and Thor didn't so much as mention leaving Asgard even once. Loki was surprised by just how well everything had worked out this time. He thought perhaps Thor really was content to wait for now. But that thought only made him become less wary of any plans Thor may have been coming up with...

So, Loki was completely caught off gaurd when he was suddenly woken in the middle of the night by his brother. Unable to see in the complete lack of light, Thor continued to shake Loki in an attempt to wake him up, despite him already being awake. Without warning, a small fire sprang up in Loki's hand, only inches from Thor's face. "You can stop that now." In the harsh light of the flame, Thor could see the sharp annoyance in his little brother's eyes at having been awaken in such a manner. But he payed it little mind.

Now that he knew Loki was awake, Thor simply caught hold of his outstretched arm and drug him to his feet. The fire in Loki's palm went out and left them in darkness again as Thor hauled him out of his room and out into the deserted hallways. They met no one as they raced down hallway after hallway. Loki had no idea what Thor was up to, and he was still asleep enough that he wasn't sure he really cared. Until he realized they were now outside.

When they finally came to a stop, Loki realized they were near the Bifrost. It was just out of sight behind the buildings before them. The two brothers stepped into the shadows between a couple of buildings where no one would see them, if there was even anyone awake at this time of night. Loki hoped whatever his brother was up to wouldn't take long so he could get back to sleep soon too.

"What are we doing out here?" Loki asked sleepily. He leaned against one of the buildings and waited. Thor was ignoring him, intentionally not answering his question. So, he waited while dug through what appeared to be a pile of discarded blankets lying in the alleyway. He started to get a bad feeling when he saw the glint of what appeared to be a sword buried below. "Thor, what insanity have you in store for us this time?"

"There is a group of warriors going into Jotunheim. We'll be going with them"

"Oh, really? And what does father have to say about this? I don't suppose you expect to be able to just simply walk out with them and no one notice."

"That is exactly what we shall do, brother. They will all be wearing cloaks to keep them warm when they arrive in the freezing lands. No one will be recognize us dressed in such attire." Thor beamed with confidence in his new plan, not a doubt in his mind as to its success.

"Very well...Even if that were to work, they would realize eventually. And just how do you expect to get past Heimdall? Just pulling a hood over your face will not get you past the likes of him."

"You can use your magic to hide from him, can you not? All you need do is hide us until we are well away from here."

"I can...But what happened to waiting for me to be ready for this? Things have hardly changed in just these few short days."

"Well, I'm sure you'll do a good bit of growing up once you find yourself out in Jotunheim. You won't have much choice, now will you?"

Now, Loki fell silent. He had failed to sway Thor's intent to leave after all. He was surprised by his brother's intent to force him to grow up. He didn't honestly feel he needed to mature any more before making this trip. No, that wasn't his problem with this. The problem was he simply did not wish to go. But Thor was determined this time, apparently more so than ever before. And Loki would have to go with him, whether he really wanted to or not. "We shall see..." Silently, Loki hoped that they would be discovered before ever making it across the Bifrost.

Thor laughed at Loki's response as he continued to check that all of their armor was still safely hidden away where he'd left it earlier. Loki slid to the ground and leaned his back on the wall, staring up at the stars. There were still several hours before the sun would rise and this foolish scheme would begin to play out. So, to better pass the time, he went back to sleep.


	3. To Jotunheim!

**Author's Notes: **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

Loki woke as some type of heavy cloth struck his face. As the cloak fell onto his legs, he looked around, unsure of where he was. Taking in the dimly lit alleyway, at last he recalled Thor's hairbrained scheme of sneaking to Jotunheim. His head fell back against the wall again, and his eyes closed. He feared this would not end well...

"Get ready. We must hurry. The warriors have already gathered and make their way to the Bifrost. They will leave soon." Thor layed Loki's armor on the ground beside him as he spoke.

Loki opened his eyes to see that his brother had already donned his own armor. "And you don't think that helmet will tip anyone off as to who you are?" Thor fround, having not even thought of that.

"It will be hidden well enough by my hood. I'll be no more out of place than a few of the others." Thor picked up Loki's helmet and frowned. "Yours may prove more difficult."

"I wouldn't be worried." Loki stood and took his helmet back from Thor. He turned it in the air between his hands, and just few seconds later the helmet disappeared from sight. Loki smiled as a look of confusion momentarily crossed Thor's face.

"Now hurry. Get your armor on. I can see the warriors; they're almost here now."

"Yes, yes. I am trying." Loki struggled with his armor while Thor continued to watch for the warriors to approach. Finally, Loki managed to get into his armor and reached for his cloak where it still lay on the ground.

He was still trying to put on the cloak when Thor began dragging him out from their hiding place between the buidlings. "Brother, wait. Else you shall put an end to your adventure before it even begins." Thor stopped and turned to face his younger brother.

Loki put on his cloak and made sure it hid his armor and face completely. "You had best use your magic to hide us from Heimdall now." Loki nodded and closed his eyes in concentration.

A minute later he opened his eyes again. "It is done." He hoped that given as much time as they had been out here scheming that Heimdall might already know all about this. He hoped they would be stopped before crossing the Bifrost. If Heimdall stopped them, Thor would be angry, but he wouldn't be angry with Loki. It wouldn't be Loki's fault the plan failed, and that was all he cared about.

Thor again turned and began walking towards the road, Loki close behind. By now, the warriors had gotten a ways ahead of them and were already stepping onto the Bifrost. But Thor and Loki kept a relatively normal pace when trying to catch up, otherwise the warriors would hear the hurried footsteps of someone who does not belong. Careful as they were, the warriors did not notice their arrival, even once the brothers caught up.

The group, now inculding Thor and Loki, began the walk across the Bifrost. It was a longer walk than the boys had anticipated, and when Loki looked back towards his home he realized they were only halfway across. He could not help but wonder why they were walking to begin with, normally anyone intending to cross the Bifrost went on horseback. He did not think on it too hard, the walk was pleasant and provided him with a view of things he had never seen before. Perhaps his curiosity would get the better of him and this wouldn't be such a horrible journey after all. But curiosity did not change the fact that he still did not wish to go to Jotunheim.

At last, they reached the edge of Asgard where Heimdall stood waiting for them. Heimdall looked over the group before him, his eyes lingering on Loki for a few seconds longer than the others. Loki was sure Heimdall must have recognized him somehow, but just before he moved to say something, Heimdall turned away from him. As Heimdall prepared to open the gate to allow the group to pass into Jotunheim, Loki didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

The warriors stepped forward as the gate opened in front of them. With a cry of "To Jotenheim!" the first warrior stepped up and disappeared through the gateway. The rest of the warriors, plus Thor, echoed the cry and followed through moments later. Last to go through, Loki simply shook his head in disapproval as he too stepped forward and was transported to Jotunheim.

Loki stared with wide-eyed fascination as he was surrounded by stars and the bright colors of the Bifrost. All he could do was watch everything pass as he was thrown from his home and through space. Then he saw the harsh ice of Jotunheim rushing up to meet him. There was no turning back now.


	4. The First Step Out Of Asgard

**Author's Notes: Welcome to Jotunheim ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

Ice. Everywhere you look. There is no escaping it. It is everywhere. All of Jotunheim is covered in endless ice.

The warriors pulled their cloaks tightly about them as they attempted to adjust to the drastic temperature change. Going from the warmth of Asgard to the frigid realm of Jotunheim was hardly a pleasant experience for most. Loki was surprised to find the change had little affect on him. He was slightly uncomfortable, but the others acted as if they would freeze to death. He could not tell whether to laugh or feel concerned.

But as they began walking across the frozen wasteland they had landed in, the warriors seemed to adjust to the cold a little better. After some time they even stopped bothering to pull their cloaks so tightly about them. Finally, even Thor adjusted to the chill air and almost forgot that he had other reasons for keeping his cloak pulled so closely. He still needed to be careful, else he risked the warriors turning back to return him and Loki to Asgard.

Not that Loki would have minded going back even in the least. So far, this adventure had seemed rather uneventful and simply contained a tremendous amount of walking seemingly aimlessly through the snow and ice. This caused even his vague sense of curiosity to die.

For hours, they trudged on through the snow like this. They had gone this far into Jotunheim and thus far had not seen so much as a single frost giant. Loki wondered if Thor had even bothered to see why these warriors had been coming to Jotunheim in the first place. So far, it seemed they had simply come for some sightseeing, which was unheard of, but it is not like they were doing much of anything else. The cold might not be bothering him, but Loki began to wonder if he would die of boredom before they got back to Asgard. Not to mention, all of this walking was getting quite tiresome. He wondered when these warriors intended to stop for the day or at least take a rest, or what it would take to persuade them to stop.

After just a few short seconds of concentration, Loki heard one of the warriors up ahead of him give a short cry as he slipped on a patch of snow that had suddenly become pure ice. Loki hid a smile at his spells success as the other warriors laughed at their 'clumsy' comrade. A few minutes later, a second warrior slipped. She blamed it on growing tired from the long walk, and the group went on. After a few more slips and the group still moving, Loki began to wonder just how much it would take to get them frustrated enough to need a break. The laughter was less now, but the only person truly irritated now was he.

Already being in the back of the group, no one noticed when Loki stopped following the others. Tired as he was, even walking was affecting his concentration now, so he stopped to better focus on his final attempt to irritate the others. A strong gust of wind picked up and the snow under yet another warrior turned to ice. This time the ice froze to part of the man's boot; rather than just slipping, he fell flat on the ground, recieving a face full of snow. And the ice melted as quickly as it had frozen. Loki ran to catch up to the group of now halted warriors just in time to hear the snow covered warrior shouting angrily. The man's face was bright red from his anger and the cold snow, some of which still clung to his beard. No one was laughing now. And his yelling was likely to draw the attention of the still absent frost giants. To calm and quiet and him, one of the others proposed they take a short rest to regain their strength. Most of the others agreed and soon all of the warriors were seated in the snow, some slept, some ate, all were glad for the rest.

Loki finally allowed himself to laugh as he dropped down into the snow next to Thor. He was glad everyone had settled down quickly; he was not sure how much longer he could contain his laughter from the trouble he had caused. He found it safe to assume the warriors would not have taken kindly to his laughing, especially since they would likely have then discovered it had been he who had caused it as well.

"I take it this was your doing then?"

"Naturally. I am surprised you even have to ask, brother." Loki's laughter began to subside, and he lay back in the snow to catch his breath.

Thor's only response was to laugh. A few minutes later he went over to where most of the warriors sat huddled in the snow. When he returned, he carried a small amount of food with him. The warriors were rationing their food somewhat in case the journey proved longer than expect, however long that was to begin with. Thor took his place next to his younger brother again and offered him some of the food he had brought back.

Careful not to let the hood of his cloak fall, Loki sat up from where he lay in the snow to accept the small meal his brother offered. They sat in silence as they ate, simply looking around at their surroundings: the snowy mountains, the ice covered ground, and the warriors doing various activities during their break from the long walk.

"Do you know why we are out here?"

"For adventure of course." Thor laughed and looked at Loki as if the question had been completely absurd.

"You call this adventure?" Loki looked about at the vast nothingness around them agian. There was hardly anything in sight that warranted calling this an adventure.

"Just wait. We'll have to run into some frost giants here eventually. And that's when the fun will begin."

"But you forget, we are currently at peace with the frost giants. If we run into any, there should be no fighting."

"I don't expect this peace to last, and neither does father. Why else would he have sent a group of warriors?"

"I admit I do not know. But why have the warriors been sent anyway? What is the purpose for having come here? And do not say it is for adventure, brother. You know as well as I do, there is another reason for our coming here. Why were the warriors sent?"

Thor hesitated for a moment. Loki feared that meant either Thor truly did not know why they were there or it was something bad. "They have been sent to speak to Laufey."

Well, that got Loki's attention. He guessed this would be bad, and that was why Thor had avoided telling him why they were here. "Why?"

"I don't know. I couldn't find out why. Only that they have been sent to speak with him and then return to Asgard."

"Since when are warriors messengers?"

"Maybe father expects Laufey to take the news badly. Maybe we are witnessing the end of our so called peace here."

"We should not be here." Loki shook his head and just looked down at the snow. He tried to think of how this could possibly turn out well, but he did not even know where to begin. He had no idea what to expect from this. With luck, it really would go as simply as Thor stated it. But the likelihood of that was not good...

"You worry too much, brother."

"We shall see."

Silence once again fell between the brothers. They simply watched the warriors around them. The sun was getting low in the sky; soon it would set and leave them in darkness. They would not be resuming their walk today; they would have to wait for morning to come now.

Before long rain started to fall on the weary travelers. It was light at first, but soon it increased in intensity, drenching the already freezing warriors. The cold hadn't bothered Loki, until it started raining. That was unpleasant for everyone. This was going to be a long and miserable night.

Loki took one last look around in the pouring rain and dying light before lying down to try to sleep. The warriors looked annoyed by the rain. He figured they, like he, wished they were back in the comfort of Asgard. Thor looked a tad miserable in the freezing rain, but he still had a smile on his face through it all. All he cared about was the possibility of fighting some frost giants later; he could tolerate the bad weather now if that is what it took to get there later. Loki wanted out of the rain and to just go back home. This was hardly the fun adventure he had been promised, and he had not even wanted to be here for that. No one except Thor seemed to want to be here. Even the frost giants looked unhappy. Loki closed his eyes to try to get some sleep before another day of perpetual walking.

Wait...Something was wrong with his evaluation there. Loki shot up from where he lay and looked around again, his tired mind not yet able to catch what was wrong. The warriors looked the same as they had since they had stopped, only wet from rain and some now staring at him for his sudden movements. Thor looked at him as if he was losing his mind. The frost giants were staring at him. The...it finally clicked in his sleep clouded mind. There was a group of ten or so frost giants watching the warriors from the side of a nearby mountain. They did not move or make any sign of coming any closer; all they did was stand there and watch them. Loki dropped back to the ground where he had been lying moments before.

"We have company."

Thor sat up quickly, eyes wide. "Frost giants? Where?"

Loki indicated where the frost giants stood on the mountainside. But when Thor looked, he saw nothing but snow and ice. "You've let the cold go to your head, Loki. There is nothing but ice out there."

Upon looking again, Loki no longer saw the frost giants either. Sleepy as he was, he knew what he saw. He was not crazy. "Guess I am just tired."

"Get some sleep. You'll need it." Thor lay back down, visibly disappointed that he had seen no frost giants.

Loki lay back down in the snow, still not believeing that he had simply imagined the frost giants. They had been looking right at him...He could not have imagined that. And they knew he had seen them too; that was why they had kept their eyes on him until he turned away, and then disappeared before anyone else had seen. He lay there, acting as if nothing had happened and seemingly trying to sleep. But he could not sleep, not now. He kept a watch out for the frost giants, in case they had anything planned for the sleeping warriors. He would watch all night if he had to; he knew the frost giants were out there somewehre, and they were up to something...


	5. Crazy or Clever?

**Author's Notes: Hmm so are the frost giants coming for them or is Loki crazy...Either way, time to have some fun with this. And I really hope this turns out okay, because I just stayed up all night working on it.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

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Thor woke to the sound of a fierce cry and the sound of metal piercing metal. He opened his eyes to see a frost giant standing over where his brother had been sleeping, his spear obviously through where Loki's chest would be. The sound of metal piercing metal...

"Loki!" Thor jumped up and ran the few steps it took to reach the murderous giant standing over his brother. The warriors had been woken by the frost giant's battle cry and were also all springing into action.

Thor drew his sword as he raced to the frost giant who still had his spear stuck in his little brother's too still form. The giant stumbled back a few steps to avoid Thor's deadly blade as it swung at his neck. But Thor kept coming after him, so with another loud cry he kicked out at Thor. The blow caught Thor in the chest sending him flying backwards several feet. Thor landed flat on his back in the snow. As he hauled himself to his feet again, he risked a quick look around at what else was going on.

There was roughly a total of ten frost giants now running through the warriors' camp. The warriors still had the frost giants outnumbered, orihinally being a group of twenty themselves, but this could still prove to be a rough night. Thor turned his attention back to the frost giant in front of him. The sooner these frost giants were dealt with the sooner he could try to help Loki, if it wasn't already too late...

Thor quickly pushed such thoughts from his mind. Loki had to be alive. He was too clever to have let a frost giant get the better of him while he was sleeping...Wasn't he?

The frost giant charged at Thor again, but Thor rolled to the side a split second before the blow would've bashed his skull in. The giant stumbled forward a few steps, propelled by its momentum from the missed attck. Before he had a chance to recover, Thor plunged his sword into the frost giant's back. It gave a cry of rage and undeniable pain as it fell to the frozen ground, dead before it even hit the snow.

One frost giant down, nine more to go. Looking around in search of his next target, Thor saw that the warriors had managed to take down two of the other giants so far. Also, there was one warrior lying motionless on the ground, a pool of blood all around him. And then there was Loki's still form lying nearby as well, even now so enwrapped in his cloak that all that could be seen of him was a small portion of his armor. But something else just didn't seem right here...

A loud noise pulled Thor from his thoughts, and he turned just in time to see another of the frost giants charging right for him. But it was already too late to dodge the attack in any way. There was no time to react in the least. The frost giant's club struck the side of Thor's head and shoulder, knocking the thunder god to the ground. Thor slid several yards in the snow before slamming into the roccks at the base of a nearby mountain.

Momentarily dazed by the hit, Thor stared up at the icy mountain and the vastnight sky looming above him. Directly above him was a shadow on the sky, as if something were blocking out the stars there. In place of the stars, Thor caught sight of two small green orbs. They looked familiar to him, but with the frost giant coming to attempt to finish him off, he didn't have the time to figure it out now.

Thor leapt to his feet and lunged at the frost giant with his sword. The attack was unexpected, but the frost giant still managed to avoid the worst of the attack. Thor's sword caught the frost giant's shoulder. The giant let out a pained cry, but the wound was not as serious as Thor would have liked.

Angry now, the frost giant swung its club at Thor again, a sweeping blow aimed at its opponent's legs. Thor jumped into the air, causing the frost giant's club to pass harmlessly below his feet. Upon landing again, Thor immediately aimed a blow for the frost giant's exposed face. It managed to dodge this hurried attack, but was unable to escape Thor's follow up attack. Thor's fist slammed into the frost giant's face with enough force to knock it to the ground. He stood over the momentarily vulnerable giant, preparing to take its life with one last decisive swing of his sword, when it aimed a desperate kick at Thor's midsection.

Thor was tossed away from the frost giant but managed to stay on his feet this time. He stood his ground but struggled to catch his breath as the giant got to its feet. The frost giant stumbled towards Thor and once it was close enough it swung its club at him again. Still recovering from the painful kick to his stomach, Thor was only able to raise his sword in a pathetic attempt to block the incoming attack.

But the block failed, of course. And once again, Thor found himself lying amongst the rocks at the foot of the icy mountain. He even saw the familiar shadow hiding the stars, and the two emerald orbs.

The frost giant walked over and stood in front of Thor for a few seconds as it raised its club high over its head in order to deliver the killing blow to the currently defensless prince of Asgard. Thor had lost his grip on his sword in the last attack and couldn't so much as try to defend himself now.

Knowing he had lost, Thor lookied up to the sky one last time. The green orbs above him seemed to grow even brighter somehow, and the mysterious shadow rippled. The stars around it twinkled dimly in the frozen night. Thor closed his eyes and braced himself for the frost giant's final attack which would inavoidably end his life.

The mighty Thor had been defeated.


	6. Do You Still Think I Am Crazy?

**Author's Notes: I have been really busy this week so I have not been able to get as much writing done as I would have liked. I apologize for the delay. But I had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter, and I hope you have just as much fun reading it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

There was nothing to hear but the bloodthirsty roar of the frost giant as it swung its club down towards Thor's head with all of its might. There was nothing to see but the anger mixed with the pride of victory in its eyes the color of blood. The world had narrowed to nothing butthe attacking frost giant. It was simply as if nothing else existed; nothing else mattered. This was the end...

The club fell through the air with bone crushing force. The end was so near that Thor could feel the shift in the air as it neared his face. But then rather than world shattering pain, suddenly Thor felt the air above him change from the normal freezing air of Jotunheim to that of a blazing furnace. Was this what it felt like to die? He had certainly imagined it differently. So, he risked opening his eyes.

A thin jet of fire sprayed above Thor and directly into the face of the frost giant. Thenit cut off as suddenly as it had started, and it was as if it was never there. The air regained its iciness, and the night returned to darkness. But in that brief moment of light, Thor had seen the shadow on the sky again, then only a vivid outline of what seemed to be a person. It was too small to be a frost giant, but it was also too small for one of the warriors.

The frost giant howled in pain and clutched at its face. It lowered its hands, overflowing with rage, and let out a cry that would have shaken even the most experienced of warriors. The frost giant's face was now blackened and burned; pieces of ruined skin beginning to fall away. Blaming Thor for the mysterious fire, it directed its rage towards him.

Thor tried to take advantage of the slight delay in the action and get back to a position from which he could fight, but as soon as he got to his feet the giant swatted him back down. It wasn't allowing him even a chance to get away now. Amd having dropped its club when its face had been burned, it moved to stomp Thor's skull against the ground to kill him. Thor tried to scramble backwards up the side of the moutain to get away or at least lessen the blow a bit, but he was too dazed from his head striking the unforgiving rocks beneath him for it to do much good. His reaction time had been slowed too much. But then Thor heard a cry that didn't belong to the frost giant.

"NOOO!"

Thor saw the shadowy figure fly through the air overhead. The green eyes disappearing from sight as it collided with the frost giant. Thor's rescuer caught hold of the frost giant's neck and swung around onto its back. The giant struggled to shake him, no longer concerned with the now escaping Thor.

While the frost giant was preoccupied with this new attacker, Thor rushed to find his sword. It was stuck half buried in the snow nearby. After pulling it free of the ice, he turned back, ready to face the frost giant once again.

As Thor ran to rehoin the fight, the attacker on the giant's back shifted his position so that he covered the frost giant's eyes. It was unable to see Thor as he attacked and thus was unable to anticipate Thor's attack.

However, the frost giant struggled against the attacker currently covering its eyes. With it proving much more difficult to keep his hold on the giant this way, he finally slipped and was thrown back onto the icy ground.

But he had managed to keep the frost giant's attention diverted long enough. Before it even had sufficient time to regain its balacne, Thor had closed the distance between them. It raised its arm to strike at Thor, but it was already too late. The thunder god'd sword pierced the frost giant's chest. And with a strangled cry, it collapsed, dead at Thor's feet.

Thor stepped back from the frost giant's corpse and quickly looked around. The fight was over. The warriors had finished off the rest of the frost giants while Thor had been busy with this one. It looked like they had lost a total of three of the warriors in the fight. But now that all the action was ended, Thor could finally find out if there might still be time for him to save his brother...Thor took off running in the direction of where he could still see the first frost giant's spear protruding from Loki's armor.

"Brother, wait!"

Thor stopped, frozen in his tracks. He could have swore that that call had come from somewhere behind him, but it was unmistakably Loki's voice. Did the echoes of these mountains play tricks on his ears? Thor just stood there for a moment, frozen by his confusion.

"Do you really intend to leave me lying here like this?"

The voice was weak, but it didn't sound like an echo. Thor looked back in the direction of the second frost giant he had killed. Lyin on the snow covered ground almost right beside it, was the person who had come to Thor's rescue only minutes before. He had completely forgotten about the "shadowy figure" who had been watching over him. He'd forgotten about the green eyed attacker who had saved his life. He had only been thinking of ending the fight quickly that he might save his brother before it was too late...

He ran over tothe boy lying on the ground. Thor felt greatly relieved as he looked down on the smiling face of his little brother - his very much alive little brother. Loki looked only a little worse for wear after having been tossed around a bit by the frost giant. He was still waiting to catch his breath after having the wind knocked out of him when he had been thrown to the ground. "I thought I'd lost you there."

"You are not getting rid of me that easily." Loki laughed lightly. "Now, help me up." He held out his hand for Thor to help him to his feet.

Thor pulled Loki from the ground and kept his hand on his brother's shoulder until he was sure he wasn't going to fall back down. When he was convinced that Loki had recovered enough to walk on his own, Thor let him go. As they walked over to join the group of warriors, Thor finally asked, "How is it that you still live? I saw you skewered by that frost giant's spear, and yet you walk beside me now with hardly a scratch."

Loki stopped walking and turned to face Thor. He waited a moment, but seeing that Thor was not going to catch on to what he thought would have been fairly obvious, he decided it would be better to just explain. "What you believe you saw and what actually occured is not necessarily the same, brother. I knew that if the frost giants were to attack tonight, they would come for me first. I had already seen them and had already tried to warn you of their presence. Once they assumed us to be asleep and began to come this way, I removed my armor and cloak while they would not be able to see me do so. I positioned my things to look as if I was still sleeping there. While in actuality, I hid myself among the rocks of that mountainside. I apologize for not telling you of this beforehand. It was not my intentions to worry you, but this had to be convincing. And I knew you would not have agreed to let me do this."

"Why do you believe I would have stopped you from saving your own life?"

"Thor, you did not even believe me when I told you I had seen the frost giants in the first place...You thought me to be losing my mind, remember?"

"Amd my disbelief nearly cost us your life..."

"Do not think of it in such a manner. All turned out well in the end, and that is what truly matters."

"I guess you're right."

Loki laughed again. "Of course I am." They had almost reached the warriors now. A number of them were now staring at the two brothers as they approached. This could prove interesting..."So, do you still think I am crazy?"

Thor smiled, feeling a little less guilty now that he was sure Loki was alright. "No more than usual, little brother." The two began laughing, but their laughter was short lived as they got within earshot of the warriors. The group did not look happy to see them...


	7. Discovery

**Author's Notes: Well, this will probably be the last chapter I am able to do before I go back to school. Once I go back, I will either be able to write a lot more or a lot less. Hopefully, it will work out well enough though.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(  
**

* * *

"As if this wasn't going bad enough." One of the more short tempered warriors complained. He was quickly told to keep quiet by a couple more of the others, which hardly help to improve upon his mood.

Another warrior spoke up now, this one calmer than the first. "For what purpose do we find ourselves honored with the company of the sons of Odin?" Her words were courteous enough, but it was not difficutl to tell that she was far from pleased that they were here.

Loki tried to answer her, but Thor did not let him even get the first word out before he had stepped forward and took over. He hoped he at least would not start spouting off nonsense about looking for adventure.

"We have come to aide you on your quest."

The woman barked out a sharp laugh. "This is no quest, young prince. We are not but simple messengers. Perhaps your 'help' is best served elsewhere."

"Simple messengers?" Loki looked at the mess of blood on the ground all around them, at the armor which everyone but he wore, and most importantly at the ten dead frost giants. "Yes, I can see that."

One of the other men said, "Some messages are more dangerous than others." He smiled darkly, sending a chill up Loki's spine. Something told him this was a warrior he should be wary of.

"In which case, maybe you could use our assistance after all." Thor said, grinning as if he had already won the argument.

"Not likely." Thor's smile quickly faded as the woman spoke again. "It would be better if you return home now before you learn just how dangerous this could be."

Another of the warriors chimed in now. "Ya can't just tell 'em to go home now. We're a full days travel into Jotunheim. There's no tellin' what could 'come of 'em if we were ta send 'em back now."

The warrior woman frowned. "You make a valid point." She paused to think for a moment, then continued. "We shall have to split into two groups now. The first group will continue to deliver out message to King Laufey. The second group will escort the sons of Odin back to Asgard."

Thor wasn't happy about the warriors attempts to exclude him from the conversation concerning what was to be done with him. Why should anything be done at all? "Don't we get any say in this?"

The short tempered warrior was the one to answer. "Hardly. You ran away in the first place. It's not too hard to figure your opinion."

Tje warrior whom Loki found to be rather intimidating spoke in agreement with the last. "Not that we value that opinion regardless." A few of the warriors cast him glances warning him to be more mindful of what he said, but it he noticed he showed no sign.

Thor was angered by the way the warriors moved to dismiss him so. It was hardly appropriate or even tolerable. But before he oculd open his mouth to shout such things at them, Loki had caught his arm. He looked back at his little brother; the look in his eyes a warning to leave him be. A warning Loki was not interested in heeding obviously.

"Brother, perhaps they are right. We should not be here. Let us go home before things get out of hand here." Loki kept his voice low so that only Thor could here him. Likely the warriots knew what he would be saying anyway, but this way would at least keep Thor slightly calmer - only slightly.

Thor shoved him back. "Stay out of this. We've come too far to go back now. If you're not going to help me, don't get in my way either." Loki didn't say another word, and Thor turned back to the warriors. They had watched the short argument with a touch of amusement. This only served to anger Thor even further.

The warrior who said it was too dangerous to send them back piped up agian. "Calm down, the lot o' ya. It's foolishness ta be splittin' the comp'ny now. Nearly half the way to our destination an' yer talkin' 'bout wantin' to send half o' us back? If any o' us are ta make it home with our lives, we can't be droppin' our pwer by half. Why, it'd be suicide!" He waited for a moment to allow his words to sink in, then when nobody else spoke up he went on. "Seems to me, we've no choice but to take the boys with us."

"But if something should happen to them..." Started the woman.

"We'll just see to it nothin' happens to 'em. They seem ta be able ta handle 'emselves well enough. I think they'll manage. Bit o' adventure may do the lads some good."

"If you're wrong about this-"

"Hush now. If I'm wrong 'bout anythin', I take full responsibility for 'em. Of somethin' happens to either them boys, may the Allfather's wrath fall upon me."

"So be it." The woman turned away from them and turned her attention to repairing their small encampment. The other warriors began dispersing as well. Much of the night was lost, and they needed to get rest they could while there was still time.

So, it was decided. Loki and Thor were to continue on to see Laufey with the warriors. Despite the decision having been made with little input on his part, Thor was pleased enough with the results to let that go. Loki wished they had been sent home but would not complain too much. Besides, his curiosity had been awoken again. This adventure could prove to be some fun after all.


	8. Endless Travel, Endless Ice

**Author's Notes: This chapter was a bit slow, but I had to tell of the rest of the journey. To help with that, I waited until I finished chapter 9 as well. So, I should have 9 up some time tonight as well.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

All through the next day they walked. They had resumed their endless march as soon as the sun had risen, and now it was nearing time for the sun to set. But still they walked.

Loki tried to persuade them to stop again, as he had before. But now that the warriors were aware of his presence, they knew their slips and falls were no mere accidents caused by clumsiness or exhaustion. That trick would not work any more.

The warriors ignored his tricks and kept on walking. When Loki caused the short tempered warrior from before to fall on his face in the snow again, he was only met with a face full of snow himself. Upon getting back on his feet, the warrior had hurled a handful of tightly packed snow at Loki. He fell back onto the snowy ground.

This was greated by laughter from the company of warriors. Even Thor had to laugh as his little brother slipped and slid in his struggle to stand back up on the ice. Loki glared up at him, unamused. Thor stifled his laugh but couldn't hide his smile as he helped his brother to his feet.

With that, Loki gave up at trying to get them to stop again. He was already tired, and such efforts were only making metters worse for him. It was best to save what energy he had left. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

They walked on into the night. It was much colder once it got dark. The temperature seemed to drop dramatically from the moment the sun fell below the horizon. The snow turned to pure ice beneath the feet of the ever persistent travelers.

The warriors began to blame Loki for their many slips and falls agian. But they continued on as normal. They walked half the night away without stopping for even a short respite.

Finally, one of the warriors turned to look back at the troublesome child he believed to had caused him to fall in the snow yet again. He didn't have a particularly bad temper but this boy was testing his patience. However, one look at the yong man struggling just to keep from falling behind told the warrior that Loki was not at fault this time. The boy looked absolutely exhausted and was covered in snow himself. He looked miserable as he shivered and slipped on the ice.

Loki fell to his knees in the snow. He had lost count of how many times he had fallen now; it was too many to count. The cold night air and the snow had caused him to start shivering long ago. He was surprised by the drastic change in night and day. He had gone from only feeling a slight chill to having lost feeling in his hands and feet. This night was much colder than the last. That and the dark clouds hanging in th sky suggested a storm to be on its way.

As he tried to stand again, Loki caught one of the warriors watching him. He scowled and ducked his head from sight. He did not like the idea of someone witnessing his weakness. This was only his first time out of Asgard; he oculd hardly beheld to the same expectations as the experienced warriors he now had the misfortune of traveling with.

Loki had not even managed to stand all the way up again before he found himself falling yet again. He lay in the snow, too tired to go on. He had been pushed to his limit, and this was as far as he could go. Let the warriors go on without him. He was too exhausted to even care any more.

Suddenly, he found himself being drug to his feet again anyway. He wearily looked up into the face of the person who was apparently unwilling to leave him behind. He expected it to be Thor, but instead of his brother he now found himself face to face with the man who had been watching him struggle in the snow just a few minutes before. He had won the warrior's pity. He would have to remember to be upset about being pitied later, because right now his mind could not even begin to register his would-be anger.

The man looked away and called to the other warriors. "The night is near half ended. Let us rest for a while. If we continue like this none of us shall stand a fighting chance should we meet any more frost giants." The other warriors paused in their march to look back at him. Then their gaze shifted to Loki, expecting this to be further mischief on his part. Upon seeing the half frozen boy, they quickly changed their minds and halted the walk all together. They set up their small camp again, and everyone settled down to rest and regain their strength.

The man who had spoke up for him guided Loki over to where Thor sat among the other warriors. "You may wish to keep a closer watch on your brother. It simply would not do for him to be left behind to freeze to death." Then the warrior left them.

Loki immediately dropped to the ground, his legs refusing to support him any longer. Thor looked at him with an expression of concern plainly plastered on his face. Having been walking up at the front of the company and talking with one of the warriors there, he had not seen Loki and had had to strain his ears to even hear the man's call to stop for the remainder of the night. He had had no idea that Loki had been falling behind.

"Do not look so frightened. I will be fine."

"I'm sorry. I should've-"

"No. It is not your fault."

"But-"

"I just...need to..." _sleep._ Loki was fast asleep before he could even say the word.

Thor still felt concerned and somewhat guilty about this. Tomorrow, he woudn't let Loki out of his sight. There was no way he letting him be left here.


	9. Frostbite?

**Author's Notes: Not a very long chapter, but hopefully it will be somewhat entertaining.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

The storm picked up not long agter the warriors stopped to rest. Only a few were sleeping. Loki still slept, and Thor stayed by his side.

Snow covered the icy ground with a fresh blanket. The very air they breathed felt like ice in their lungs. And the wind blew the snow about so violently that it was impossible to see more than just a few inches in any direction.

The warriors huddled together in an attempt to keep warm. Not wanting to have to wake Loki up to move over witht he others, Thor stayed off the the side and away from the group. He was freezing. He had no hope of sleep tonight. To keep the cold from getting to him, Thor would have to get up and walk around the encampment from time to time, careful not to get lost in the blinding snow. He though Loki was lucky to be asleep and unaware of the intense cold.

But Loki would not have counted himself as fortunate. His sleeo was troubled, and he was pinfully aware of how cold it was. He dreamt of frost giants, likely in the time of the war which had occured not too long ago. It was vived as if he had really seen it, yet dark and twisted as if seen by the terrified mind of a small child. In his mind's eye, the war raged on, and a dark figure approached him. Once it stood towering over him, it reached out to him...

Loki woke up, shivering from cold mixed with something else. It was not exactly fear, but something about his dream bothered him greatly. He could not get it off his mind. He tried to stand but was so cold that he could not force his limbs to move correctly. The best he could manage was a sitting position for the time being. He would have to find a way to warm himself enough to be able to move properly before he could stand.

But then something shocked his dream from his mind for him altogether. Rather than it being because of his walking around, his mind was cleared by a sight before him that worried him far more. His handds were beginning to turn blue, and while he could not see his legs beneath his clothes, he was sure they were blue now as well. As the blueness appeared, the frozen feeling disappeared. But rather than being relieved that he was no longer cold, Loki was more concerned at the sudden change.

He had heard rumors of warriors who had gone into Jotunheim ill prepared for storms such as what they endured now. Some of these warriors he was told of had required much healing upon returning to Asgard, not because of injuries or wounds expected of a warrior, but due to the extreme cold. The cold had frozen and deadened their skin to the point they had lost feeling and movement in arms and legs. They called it frostbite. If his options were to be cold or to have frostbite...he would much rather have been cold.

In his worry, he did not even realize that unlike in those stories, he was still able to move just fine. He did not notice that he actually had normal feeling and was not numb as the rumored warriors had been. His sleepy mind had panicked and had not looked past the color.

He stayed turned away from the warriors so they would not be able to see what was happening. Loki focused his magic on getting rid of the blueness and hoped any other problems would just be fixed along with it. He did not know what he was doing, but he had to try something. But this seemed to work well enough. The blue faded, and he once again felt the sharp chill of the air.

Calmer now, Loki looked around to be sure no one had seen anything. But no one was paying him any attention. He could see Thor walking back this way, but with the snow still falling so densely, there was no way he could have seen anything from that far away.

His magic having used up all of the strength he had managed to regain with his sleep. Loki lay back down int he snow to rest some more whilst he still could. This time he was extra careful to wrap himself within his cloak as well as he could. He really did not want to have a repeat of this incident...

* * *

**Author's Notes: I couldn't resist adding in some sort of reference to Loki's frost giantness. But since he can't know anything about it yet, I had to try to pass it off as frostbite in his mind. But now I keep thinking about a frost giant with frost bite...poor thing.**


	10. Sight Without Sound

**Author's Notes: I now realize I really should have named some of these warriors. :/ But I re-use the same ones for these conversations, so if it seems a bit confusing just keep those 4 warriors in mind - the woman, the short tempered man, the dark warrior, and the man who helped Thor and Loki to be allowed to stay (you can probably tell which one he is by his accent anyway, I think).**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

The storm lasted most of the next day. There was no way for the warriors to go on until it passed; travel was impossible. They struggled to keep warm, but they also had plenty of time to recover from the fatigue most of them were feeling. The warriors had tried to keep going for too long in order to end their trip sooner. A mistake the harsh lands of Jotunheim would not easily forgive.

When the sky cleared and no longer held any sign of the terrible storm, the warriors were finally able to move on. They had lost two of their company to the storm. They had wandered away from the group to try to get warm by such movement, but they had never returned. Once the storm had passed, they searched for them, but with no luck. And they did not have time to search extensively, so the warriors went on thier way. They had a message to deliver. The sooner they got it over with, the better it would be for everyone.

They spent the remaindr of the morning climbing a particularly steep mountain. Once they reached the top, they realized they were much closer to their destination than they had previously thought. Standing at the top of this mountain, the company looked down on the domain of King Laufey. The harsh ice of the structure looked far from inviting and to so much as look at it gave one the feeling of being somewhere they should not be. But the warriors certainly were not turning back now.

"Thor, Loki, this is as far as you shall go. You will wait here until we return." It was the very same warrior woman who had wanted to send them home before.

Thor was instantly angered. "What? Why? We've come this far. You can't seriously expect us to stop here!" He expected the warrior who who had spoke on their behalf before to help him again.

He was sorely disappointed. "She's right, lad. Best ya wait here an' let 'em do what they came ta do." He indicated the other warriors. "I'll be waitin' here with ya."

Thor's look of shock and betrayal turned to the woman as she added to that. "We can not affor to rsk taking the sons of Odin into the enemy's presence. If King Laufey should know that, it would complicate things exponentially. I can not risk your not returning home."

Now Loki spoke up. "Enemy? We are supposed to be at peace witht he frost giants."

The dark warrior stepped up beside the woman. "That remains to be seen." He smiled as if anticipating something exciting - something he should not have found so appealing.

"So you mean to start a war?!" Thor was surprised, but excited by this. "And you say for us to wair outside? You can't mean that..."

The woman was growing irritated with the boys. They had never been told what the message was. They had no idea what sorts of danger they could soon be in. "We do not mean to do anything. The Allfather gave us a message to deliver, and that is the extent of our business here. There is no question to the matter. You will stay here." With that, she turned and began the long descent down the mountainside towards the meeting place. The other warriors fell into step behind her. A small group of five stayed behind with Loki and Thor, for protection and to make sure they did not try to follow.

Thor dropped to the ground, frustrated beyond belief. He coudn't believe the warriors would do this. What right did they have to order him around like this?

"Thor! You can see everything from up here! We may not be able tro go with them, but we can still watch!" Loki had climbed a ways up the side of a mountain which was parially joined with the one they were waiting on. The warriors had tried to stop him, but a little extra ice and a few mirror images of the boy all running circles around the warriors kept them distracted long enough for him to avoid notice for just long enough. By the time they got past his tricks, he had already scaled too high up the vertical rockface for them to get to him. So, they let him go. As long as all he did was hang there and watch, he was not causing too much trouble. It was better to just let him be.

"I don't want to watch. I shouldn't have to watch. I should be there!"

Loki sighed and left Thor alone. He occasionally called down to the let the others know of the continuing messengers progress. It was nearly nightfall when they finally arrived.

"They have arrived! I can see Laufey coming out to meet them!"

Before Loki even finished speaking, Thor had run over and started climbing up to him. Loki could not help but laugh at his brother's sudden change of attitude towards watching. Thor glared at him as he reached the same height. He quieted his laughter to avoid starting a fight. He was not particularly fond of the idea of either of them falling from this height.

Down below, the warriors stood before Laufey. In comparison with the king before them, the warriors did not seem quite as intimidating as they normally would. Laufey looked down on them, clearly displeased by their presence. It seemed he had not expected this...

The warriors knelt to show respect to the king of the frost giants. That seemed to appease him somewhat. They stood back up, and the woman stepped ahead of the group again. She must have been the one entrusted to deliver the message.

Time seemed to slow to a stop during their conversation. Thor and Loki watched, unable to hear a word being said. They could see when Laufey spoke, but they could not even begin to guess at what he was saying. The muted scene before them seemed to drag on and on. They could have been there for minutes, hours, even days. The suspense of waiting to see what would happen made it impossible to measure the passing time.

The boys watched as Laufey grew steadily angrier as time ticked by. They could see a scowl twist his facial features. He was shouting now. The sound was still lost to the wind before it reached the ears of those waiting on the mountain, but it was not difficult to tell just by observing his face. Something the warrior had said had obviously angered the frost giant. He took a few menacing steps toward the woman, threatening her to continue.

The dark warrior stepped up next to her, meeting Laufey's threat with one of his own. Only seconds later, Laufey must have decided he had had enough. He reached out and struck the warrior so that he flew throught he air. He collided with an icy column a ways off. While the dark warrior was still picking himself up off the ground, Laufey moved on to attack the woman who had delivered the upsetting message form Odin.

The warrior dove to the side in time to escape Laufey's attack. She quickly sprung back onto her feet to try to fight back. She drew her sword, but Laufey was backing away from the group of warriors. Before anything else could be done, frost giants began to step from the shadows around them. The warriors were surrounded and greatly outnumbered by enemies. Laufey was no where to be seen now.

Loki and Thor watched in horror as the warriors fell one by one. They were fighting well, and many frost giants lay dying at their feet, but it was not enough. There were just too many of them. In no more than five minutes, all eleven of the warriors had fallen...

There was nothing the warriors on the mountain could do. There was no way they could have gotten to the others in time to help. If they had tried, they would only have died too.

Loki and Thor continued to stare as some of the frost giants began to leave. They watched as most of the frost giants stayed where they were, celebrating their triumph in some way or other. Laufey was standing among them now. As the two boys stared down at him, he lifted his head so it was as if he was looking right at them. The brothers did not dare to so much as breathe while Laufey looked their way. Was it possible he could see them all the way up here?

Laufey's face contorted into a wicked grin, and the boys knew he was fully aware of their presence. Glancing down, they saw the grost giants who had left already. The giants were coming this way... They were coming for them...

Loki and Thor began scrambling down the side of the mountain and just jumping once they were close enough to the ground. "They're coming this way!" The warriors who were waiting on the mountain with the boys had also seen everything that had happened, but they could not see the frost giants who were on their way to them. At the boys warning, one of the warriors ran to the edge where the mountain began sloaping downwards.

The warrior stepped back just as a frost giant's spear flew through the air wehre he had been only a second ago. "We must go, quickly! They climb much faster than we do. they will likely reach us within the hour. We don't have much time..."


	11. Still A Child

**Author's Notes: Sorry about the poor spelling recently. Since I've been in school I've had to write it on paper first, and I'm awful at typing something from paper like that. Plus, I have no spell check. :/ I'll try to start paying more attention to such things. Thanks for pointing it out to me, otherwise I probably never would have noticed.**

**So, I guess it's time for the return journey. It makes me kind of sad to think my story is going to have to come to an end soon. But once they get back to Asgard, I guess there isn't really much more I can do. I've had fun writing this and hate to see it end. But at least I have a few more chapters to go still. :}**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

Loki, Thor, and the four warriors quickly started down the side of the mountain away from the frost giants. They traveled much slower over the ice and snow, but at least they had the temporary advantage of traveling down hill. They just had to take advantage of this all they could.

The small group was half way up the next mountain when the frost giants reached the top of the previous one. Here the warriors paused for a moment. It was the perfect opportunity for them to delay the frost giants.

Taking extra care on maintaining his focus, Loki cast mirror images of their group on two other nearby mountains. The frost giants looked around at the illusions with great confusion. After arguing amongst themselves for a moment about which was the real targets, they took off running towards the projection on the mountain nearest to them.

Once the frost giants' backs were turned to them, they began climbing with a renewed haste. Loki no longer bothered with the second image which had been ignored for the time being. He was also careful to make sure the projection the frost giants had elected to follow continued to move up its mountain at a steady pace. It took all of his concentration to keep the illusion going. Thor had to half-carry half-drag his little brother as they continued their own climb.

When the company reached the top of the smaller mountain they were now on, the warriors went on down the other side, but Thor and Loki stayed there. Loki would not be able to keep up the trick if he went on any more. It was already difficult enough as is, and the longer he was able to keep it up the more time it would take the frost giants to figure out where they had really gone. So, they waited until the warriors reached the base of the mountain before Loki let the projection go, thoroughly confusing and angering the frost giants.

Loki and Thor ran and slid over the edge to get out of sight before the frost giants could figure out what had happened. This side of the mountain had looked icy but other than that relatively harmless. On their way down the warriors had checked for any sharp drops or other such dangers. Upon reaching the bottom without having found anything they believed to be too problematic, the warriors signaled to Thor and Loki that it was safe. Trusting they had not overlooked anything, the brothers slid down the hill on their backs.

It was steep enough that they picked up great speed as they slid. Twice Thor went through patches of loose snow, which slowed him down and showered him in snow. Loki encountered one of the sharp drops they had hoped to avoid. It was not so bad as to cause him injury, but it take his breath away.

As he neared where the ground began to flatten out, Thor managed to get his feet under him. He ended his slide with an unsteady run, but it left him standing on his feet near the warriors none the less. Loki on the other hand had been progressively gaining speed as he went and did not so much as try to stop himself, which was probably wise on his part. Even once the ground had already flattened out, he continued to slide across the slick snow. When Loki finally came to a stop he was nearly entirely buried in the snow and had gone a considerable distance past the warriors and his brother.

It took the group roughly fifteen minutes to make the walk over to him. All the while Loki simply lay there, waiting. Once they caught up, a warrior stood on either side of him, and each taking hold of one of his hands, they pulled him free of the snow. Loki shook the snow off of him, laughing all the while. The warriors could not help but to chuckle as well; the boy's laughter was contagious. But the warriors were then hit by the sobering realization that he really was still just a boy; he was no more than a child even now. They could hear the threatening shouts of the frost giants somewhere in the distance. Jotunheim was no place for a child. These boys should never have come here. It was only a matter of time before the frost giants caught up to them, and if any of them would make it past that meeting was something they could only guess at.

These thoughts of the frost giants had brought them back to the cold reality, and their smiles faded. "We should be gettin' goin' now. Don't fancy havin' to fight 'em off meself."

Loki followed the others as they resumed their long walk home. He was happy to be going home. Even if they were still in great danger, he was in considerably higher spirits now. But as excited to finally be going home he was, and even though there was not a single frost giant in sight, Loki never completely turned his attention from the frost giants he knew to be not far behind. He could not see them, even with his magic, but he could do enough to know they were nearby.

And they were getting closer...


	12. So Close

**Author's Notes: Well, the last chapter was just a bit of fun. I guess its only real purpose was to show the passing of time and show their need to hurry. But I also wanted to add in a more lighthearted chapter before I bring this story to a close very soon. **

**I apologize for how long it has taken me to get this chapter up. And I will warn you now, this chapter will likely be pretty long. It is time for me to be wrapping this up and ending it one way or other. Probably only one more after this. So, the end is nigh! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

They did not stop until the sun was gone from the sky. Despite a growing exhaustion among the small group, they had tried to keep their frantic pace up for as long as they possibly could. But now that night had fallen, they were at too great of a disadvantage against the frost giants. In the dark, they could scarcely see to walk along the slick ice and perilous slopes of the mountains. The frost giants were only slightly hindered by the night and would have no problem continuing their pursuit of the weary travelers. With the night against them, the warriors thought it would be best if they were to stop until daylight when they could see their path and any possible attackers that may be coming their way.

This time, there were no complaints about how long or how fast they were traveling. Each of them knew that the frost giants were not far behind them, and they needed to return to Asgard as quickly as they possibly could. Their travels now surpassed even that of their journey into Jotunheim. As important as it was for them to have gotten there to deliver their message to Laufey, they were much more eager to get back home, while they still could.

They slept in shifts. Some keeping watch while others slept, then they would switch places after a couple of hours. The four warriors took turns at this, but left Thor and Loki to sleep the entire night. Thor slept soundly until dawn. Loki however could not bring himself to sleep. He was waiting. Waiting for the frost giants to make their move. He knew they were close. They were much too close for him to rest peacefully. And he would know when they were coming much sooner than the warriors would be able to see them in the dark. Loki lay in the snow, staring up at the sky, but his true focus never turned from using his magic to hunt for the frost giants.

To everyone's great surprise and relief, the frost giants did not attack that night. They resumed their retreat as soon as the sun was up. By midday, they were near the place they needed to be to be able to take the Bifrost back to Asgard. Thor didn't understand how the warriors could tell where they were in Jotunheim. To him, everything looked the same. It was all just more snow and ice, and more snow and ice, and even more snow and ice. There was no end to it.

Loki could see the subtle differences in the mountains as they went. He could see the slight changes in the land. On the return, he recognized places they had passed or stopped at on the first journey. But he no longer felt the excitement of being near home. Something was wrong. He could no longer detect the frost giants anywhere nearby. He could not find them at all. It was as if they had just...disappeared. This troubled Loki to no end.

They all kept an eye on the mountains, looking for anything that did not belong. They had to be extra careful now that they had lost their chance at having an early warning. There was no way to know where the frost giants could be.

Had they found a way to hide their presence from Loki?

And maybe even from the eyes of the travelers?

Had they simply fallen behind?

Or maybe they had given up entirely? Not likely...

They dared not to get their hopes up at making it back to Asgard without incident. The moment they stopped suspecting an attack, was surely the moment that such an attack would occur. They had to be ready.

The group paused at the base of a mountain. They stayed back among the rocks surrounding it so that they would be out of sight to anyone watching. Just across the open area ahead of them was the place where they would take the Bifrost back to Asgard. There had still been no sign of the frost giants. They carefully looked around the area ahead, searching for some hint as to what the frost giants were planning. Surely the frost giants were not allowing them to escape back to Asgard so easily.

But there was nothing. No sign of malice in the valley ahead of them. It looked the same as any other snowy patch of land in Jotunheim. As far as they could tell, the mountains held no mysteries either. It seemed they would just have to risk it and get across as quickly as possible, and pray for the best.

One of the warriors took a step out of their hiding place. He walked a few feet out into the snow. No one followed him at first. He knew they would not follow, but someone had to take the first step eventually. So, he stopped once he was plainly out in the open. Turning back to face the others, he had a large grin on his face. "Ya see, lads? Nothin' ta worry 'bout! They've all gone!" He laughed as he thought of how foolish they all must have seemed hurrying along and worrying for nothing.

He died with that smile still on his face.

His body fell, his spirit gone before the corpse hit the snow. There was a Jotun spear protruding from his chest. No one in the group had seen where the spear had come from. All the others could do was stare in shock. They watched the spear pierce their companion's body, they watched as he fell, and they watched as half a dozen frost giants sprung from their hiding places somewhere beneath the snow.

The three remaining warriors and Thor drew their swords, bracing themselves for what they desperately hoped would not be their last fight. They stepped out from among the rocks so they would not be pinned against the mountain. They would fight this on open ground, where they had the best chance of survival, even if that chance still was not a good one.

Two of the warriors charged at the nearest frost giant in hopes of catching it before it was ready. The frost giant swatted the first warrior aside as he approached and deflected the attack of the second with relative ease. But it had not seen past these first two, and thus was caught unaware when the third dropped in. He had leapt just into the air while the previous warrior held the giant's attention, and just as the frost giant caught a glimpse of him and turned its head, his sword connected with its neck. The frost giant's head fell to the ground and rolled in the snow; the body tumbling down only a second behind.

This entire attack only having taken a matter of seconds. The warrior on the ground picked himself up and stood with the others, ready to face the others. The second warrior held a smile on her face, daring the Jotuns to attack them. If this was to be her last fight, she was taking some frost giants down with her.

Thor ran at a frost giant at random, diving past two others to get to it. Loki tried to help compensate for his brother's recklessness by drawing the attention of these two. He sent short bursts of fire aimed at each of them. He missed the first, but the flame hit the arm of the second. It let out a fierce cry and ran towards him, closely followed by the other.

The three warriors engaged the final two frost giants. Even though there were three of them against only two Jotuns, this fight still favored the frost giants. They had to move quickly, their superior speed likely their strongest advantage right now.

Thor dealt a series of quick slashes at his frost giant's legs. In response, it kicked him back several feet. It followed up with a swing of a spear aimed at his head. Thor ducked under the Jotun's arm and managed to slip behind it, but the frost giant dropped to one knee on the ice. Thor was pushed back as it hurled a large amount of snow into his face, temporarily obstructing his vision. He dove to the ground and rolled to the side as the frost giant tried again to impale him on its spear.

As he came up to a crouch in the snow, Thor had to flinch away as a burst of fire hit the ground beside him, burning his arm and side. Angered by the apparent carelessness of an ally, he looked about for his little brother. Loki was on his knees in the snow, surrounded by a layer of ice. The ice was forming a bubble around him and acted as a shield against the frost giants' attacks. He was unable to keep up the ice shield and attack at the same time. It split his concentration too much, and would likely cause both his offense and defense to weaken and fail.

Loki would drop the ice just long enough to send a short burst of fire at the frost giants. His haste greatly hurt his aim though, so he could only hit them about half of the time. The other half...he just hoped Thor and the warriors could dodge his attacks as well as these frost giants seemed to be able to. He saw one of the flames fall very close to Thor, and he saw the angry look his brother sent him for it. But Loki had bigger concerns than Thor getting a slight burn on his arm, like the two frost giants who just broke through his ice shield perhaps?

The warriors knew that Loki was going to need help, and soon. But there was nothing they could do at the moment. They just had to hope that both boys could hold their own until they had finished with their own frost giants and were able to help them.

A warrior shouted as she swung her sword in a wide arc meant to slash the frost giant's chest. Having miscalculated just how much taller it was than she, her attack met its stomach instead. The bloody wound was not fatal, but it should slow it down soon. It howled in pain and knocked her back. One of the other warriors tried to come to her aide, but fueled by its pain and rage the frost giant had short and unexpected burst of speed in it. The Jotun lunged forward and stabbed its spear down at the warrior on the ground. It caught her in the chest and pinned her to the ice. She gasped sharply as her life drained from her, her blood staining the snow.

Before the wounded frost giant could stand back up, another warrior turned form the second, which he had been fighting alone for the time being, and he jumped up onto its back. He drove his sword down through its skull and on down into its body. It collapsed, dead. But the warrior had had to turn his back on the other Jotun, a mistake certainly not overlooked by the frost giant. As the warrior turned back to face it again, it bashed him with its club. The blow was more than sufficient to cave in the warrior's chest and send him tumbling to the ground. Wounded so terribly, the warrior would lie in the snow in agony and die only a few moments later.

Thor watched in horror as the warriors began to fall one by one. While his attention was drawn elsewhere, the frost giant in front of him struck his chest, sending him flying back into the snow. He sprung to his feet and met the frost giant's next strike. The Jotun attacked again, but Thor deflected the blow with his sword. Thor counterattacked, leaving a gash along the frost giant's shoulder. It swung its spear at Thor just as he slashed at it with his sword again. The weapons crashed together, locked in place as the two enemies glared at one another. Thor shoved against the frost giant's spear with all his might, forcing it to shuffle back a few hurried steps. This also served to separate the two.

Thor ran towards the Jotun, sword raised. He ducked as the frost giant jabbed at him with its spear in an attempt to use his own momentum against him. The weapon passed harmlessly over Thor's head. From here, he stabbed upward at the Jotun. It roared in pain as the sword pierced its chest. Thor pulled his sword out of the frost giants and stumbled back as it fell to its knees for a moment. It then proceeded to fall face down into the snow.

His opponent slain, Thor turned to see where his next target would be. The only surviving warrior seemed to be managing well enough against the frost giant he now battled. The warrior was using the ice to his advantage, to gain speed as he slid to avoid the frost giant's attacks. When he would attack, the Jotun always seemed to manage to block or dodge the strike. The two were evenly matched, and it was only a matter of who would make the first mistake. Seeing this, Thor looked on to see how his younger brother was fairing with his own two Jotuns. Two frost giants against one boy was hardly a fair fight, even if the boy was supposed to be a son of Odin and quite a clever magician for his age. Loki did not fair well against the relentless frost giant...

Loki jumped back as one of the frost giants swung its club down at him with sufficient force to shatter his ice shield. He tumbled back onto the snowy ground as razor sharp shards of ice cut through the air around him. He held up his arms to protect his face from the frozen onslaught and winced as it produced numerous cuts on his arms. Loki turned, trying to scramble to his feet to retreat far enough away from his assailants for him to be able to get another decently strong shield up between them. But before Loki was able to even push himself up off of his hands and knees, one of the Jotuns had swung its heavy club at him. It struck his side and forced him back onto the ground. Loki rolled a few feet in the snow before coming to a stop on his back. Despite the complete lack of oxygen in his lungs, he tried to push himself backwards to put as much distance as possible between the frost giants and himself.

Loki could see Thor running towards him to help, but it was not exactly a short distance to cross. Eyes back on the frost giants towering over him, he hurled a large burst of fire at them. The attack was rushed and desperate, but for the most part it hit its target anyway. One frost giant shied away from the blast and avoided being burnt, but the second was not so lucky. It cried out in pain as the fire came in contact with its chest and rapidly spread.

The burning Jotun swung its club wildly, vaguely aiming at the boy responsible for the immense pain it was now suffering. Loki quickly pulled up another shield from the ice. It covered him just as both frost giants' clubs came crashing down towards him. They hit the thin layer of ice, and instantaneously shattered it completely, allowing the attacks to continue on to batter the boy beneath. He tried to flinch away, but there was little he could do once they had broken his best, possibly only, defense against them. Loki was somewhat aware of the strangled cry that escaped him, just before his world went black...

Too late to help, Thor watched as his little brother was overcome by the Jotuns. They broke his defenses and each struck at him while he was helpless. The burning frost giant fell to its knees in the snow almost immediately after, its wounds proving too much for it. The other hit the boy a couple more times before Thor came to his 'rescue'. Loki now lay completely still in the bloodstained snow.

The thunder god leapt on the back of the Jotun still slowly dying from its many burns. He slit its throat with his sword, effectively putting it out of its misery, all be it much sooner than it deserved. Before it could fall the rest of the way to the ground, Thor jumped from its back, using it to gain extra height. He swung his sword at the other, aiming for its head. The Jotun lowered its head and avoided the worst of Thor's strike. The sword left a deep cut across the side of the frost giant's face. In retaliation, the Jotun swiftly sunk its large fist into Thor's stomach, knocking the wind from him and causing him to fall back on the charred corpse of the other frost giant.

The Jotun took a step towards Thor, preparing to bash him with its already bloody club. It stopped short as a sword was plunged into its side from a clearly unexpected attacker. The warrior pulled his sword back out of the frost giant, prepared to fight on. Thor looked over his shoulder to see what had become of the frost giant with whom this warrior was battling until only moments before. The Jotun now lay dead, crumpled at an awkward angle. There was a deep gash across its chest, exposing its cut vitals beneath the dead blue skin. The warrior was clearly exhausted now, sweat shone all over him, and he looked to be on the verge of collapsing. But he would fight until the end, be it the end of this battle, or his life.

Thor rose to his feel and simply watched the two fight for a moment. The Jotun swung its club at the warrior's upper body, and he responded by diving to the side, using the ice to slide around the frost giant a little ways, then springing up to slash at its exposed shoulder. With a shout, the Jotun staggered some but then took another swing at the waiting jumped into the air as the frost giant's club sailed towards his legs. With very careful timing, the warrior dropped down on the weapon as it passed beneath him. It was pulled from the frost giant's grip and crashed down into the snow. The Jotun was pulled off balance by this, and it stumbled forward against the warrior. He allowed himself to fall to the ground to avoid what he knew would happen next.

As the warrior looked up at the Jotun, a blade rather suddenly appeared protruding from the giant's chest. Thor, having seen an opportunity to finish off the Jotun, had stabbed his sword through its back while it was vulnerable. The body of the last Jotun fell, landing on top of the tired warrior.

Thor helped the man roll the heavy corpse off of him. The warrior slowly stood up, his energy spent. The frost giants slain at last, Thor finally looked back to where his brother still lay on the ice. Loki had yet to move at all. Thor ran over to him, and only then was he able to tell the boy was even breathing. Stepping up next to Thor, the warrior also looked down on the broken and bloodied figure in the snow.

"I'll carry him the rest of the way. If we get him back to Asgard soon, he may be okay. I've seen men hurt worse and lived." He knelt in the snow and carefully scooped the fragile boy into his arms. As he did this, he added, "Then, I suppose I've also seen men look better and not make it to see the next sun rise." Seeing the stricken look on Thor's face when he said this, he realized it would have been better for him to have kept that comment to himself. But as he began to walk across the frozen wasteland, he couldn't help but notice how limp and pale Loki's body was. Could a mere boy survive such a beating from a couple of full grown frost giants? The warrior wasn't sure. But all he could do for the boy was get him home as quickly as possible, and pray it wouldn't be too late...

It didn't take long for Thor and the warrior to reach the location at which the Bifrost would appear for them. The warrior called for Heimdall to allow them to return with haste. Only a few short minutes later, the three of them were back in Asgard at last.


	13. The Look In His Eyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, worlds, things, etc. Too bad, that would be fun. :) But alas, 'tis not meant to be. :'(**

* * *

The world was reduced to nothing but a blur of color and motion, shouts and whispers, gentle touches and rough shakes. Although sometimes, it would be quiet and dark. Those were the times Loki held on to. They were the only times he could think, the only times he was not aware of the sharp pain consuming his body.

He had no idea how much time had passed. But he figured it was better that way. Loki did not really want to know how long he stayed this way; he knew it was too long. He should have been worried; but he was not. That was just how things were here. He felt nothing. He just floated on in endless silent darkness.

Loki felt himself being called back to that awful state of partial awareness. He did not want to go back. He wanted to stay here where it was peaceful. Lately, it seemed he had been allowed to rest here longer than usual. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was not a good thing.

But this time was different. He could say no if he chose to. Before, Loki had always been forced back into that painful state of semi-consciousness. Now, he could resist it; he could choose to stay here where it was quiet if that was what he wanted. However, that little thought in the back of his mind stirred and forced him to acknowledge it. It told him that if he was to make that choice now, he may never be able to take it back later. He would stay in this empty state, forever.

To stay here would be to surrender all that was left to him now, his mind.

To stay here would be to give up on himself.

To stay here would be to die.

* * *

Loki opened his eyes.

The world was strangely in focus now. It was no longer just a massive blur of too vivid colors and blinding lights. It hurt his eyes as he tried to look around.

He was in his room, lying in his bed. He was not alone, but there were not nearly as many people as there had seemed to be the last time he had been awake. While of course, he had been so disoriented and dizzy that he had no sense of what had actually been going on around him, Loki still thought he had heard more than a single voice. But there was only one person here with him now, and he was silent. The visitor stared at Loki with worried eyes, waiting anxiously to see what would happen next.

Thor had been present when Loki awoke many times in the past couple of weeks. Each time, he and everyone else would hope against hope that the boy would stay conscious this time. But he never did. In the short times he was awake, he was unresponsive, and they were almost certain Loki was unable to comprehend anything they did or said to him. Everyone had expected him to stay asleep this time; they no longer waited for him to wake up again. They had already done all they could to help him, but he had been in pretty bad shape. If he pulled through or not was solely up to him now. Once he stopped waking up regularly, they started giving up hope on him though. Now all of them left him in peace, thinking it was only a matter of time until Loki left them completely. All of them except Thor that is. Thor stayed by his damaged little brother's side at all times. As long as Loki kept breathing, Thor wouldn't give up on him.

Thor watched with great interest as Loki's eyes opened now. It had been two days since the last time Loki had been awake, and that had only been for a few agonizing minutes before he faded out once again. Thor watched as Loki's eyes closed again only seconds later. He sighed and hung his head; he refused to give up on his brother, but he was certainly having his doubts. But Thor looked back up a few minutes later, and he was shocked to see that Loki was watching him now. The boy's eyes were half closed, but Thor could see enough of them to be able to tell that they were much clearer than they had been before. Loki's eyes had been glazed over during those increasingly rare occasions when they had been open; seeing without truly seeing. From the way Loki was staring at Thor now, he couldn't help but wonder if his brother was maybe really looking at him.

But then Loki closed his eyes, and after a few minutes passed, he had still not opened them again. Thor assumed he had lost consciousness again. However, the clear look in Loki's eyes had been enough to restore some of Thor's dwindling hope.

"It is too bright here."

Thor thought he was imagining things for a moment. He must be. It was miracle enough for Loki to open his eyes these days, let alone his mouth. Loki hadn't spoken since they had returned to Asgard. To expect him to be speaking now was beyond even Thor's foolish optimism.

"Think you may be able to change that?"

Thor was shocked...It had been Loki! He was actually awake, and talking! Stunned into silence, Thor simply jumped up from where he sat and rushed to do as Loki had asked. He drew the coverings over the window so that the only light left in the room came from the candles he had forgotten to put out this morning.

As soon as the painfully bright light was gone, Loki opened his eyes once again. That was much better. As Thor returned to his chair near the bed, Loki could not help but to laugh at the look of utter shock on Thor's face, even though he knew it was well justified. He was also slightly disturbed by how weak his own laughter sounded. He had allowed himself to slip even further than he had realized...His voice was weak, and his body was even weaker. Had he stayed in that dark place much longer would he have made it out at all? Only now was he finally hit with the fear of just how close he had been to death.

Loki shivered and closed his eyes, trying to compose himself. He focused on his breathing and tried to calm himself down. It helped, somewhat.

"Are you alright?"

After a few more deep breaths, Loki nodded and reopened his eyes to look at his brother. Thor smiled now, relieved.

"It's about time came around. You've given us quite a scare."

"Us?"

"The others...didn't expect you to wake up again."

Loki gave a slight nod in answer and looked away from Thor.

"I can go find someone else for you if you'd like? I could go find father?"

"No. Do not trouble him over me."

"Trouble? But wouldn't he be happy to see you're better?"

"Maybe."

Thor sighed. Arguing this point with Loki was pointless. His little brother was convinced that Odin saw him as nothing more than an added burden and that he wasn't even liked nearly as much as Thor himself was. Well, it was true, even Thor had noticed all this, but he still didn't like hearing Loki say it. But now was not the time for pointless arguments, so Thor let the comment go for now.

Loki did not feel up to arguing either anyway. Thus, he redirected the conversation. "So...What have I missed?"

"We killed those frost giants!" Thor said, a smile beginning to creep across his face again. "You got one too!" Expecting Loki to share in his excitement over this, Thor paused. But when his brother failed to be interested, he went on. "Father was angry when we first got back. But when he saw you were hurt, it was like he just forgot. I don't think we'll even be in any trouble!"

Loki smiled a little, finding an odd sense of humor in this. _Glad my nearly dying helped you avoid getting in trouble._

"Laufey brought frost giants into Asgard! He didn't seem too happy. He and father went away somewhere and talked for a long time. I tried to follow to listen, but a guard stopped me." A look similar to childish anger appeared on Thor's face at this part. "So, I don't know what it was they discussed, but there shall be no war. Laufey still looked really angry when we he left though, but nothing else exciting has happened since then."

"I would have thought you to have had your fill of excitement for a while?"

Thor smiled a little. "I'm content, for now."

"For now." Loki laughed. There would most definitely be no complaints coming from him if Thor did not want to go on any more 'adventures' for a while.

"But don't you worry. I'll have some new ideas in no time!" Thor already wore a bright smile just thinking of what new exciting adventures he could find now. Loki's only answer was to shake his head and keep laughing.

But as his laughter died down, Thor noticed there was something different about Loki. Something in his little brother's eyes had changed. They no longer held the same childish innocence they had only a few short weeks ago. After all that he had been through - journeying into Jotunheim, killing a frost giant, coming very close to death at the hands of a couple of Jotuns - Loki had in fact grown up a lot because of this adventure. In place of the innocent and ever-happy air that always hung about him before, there was something more serious and somewhat dark about him now.

Thor suddenly regretted dragging Loki to Jotunheim...Not only had he almost gotten his little brother killed, but he'd also forced him to grow up much more than had been intended. He had said the adventure would be good to help the boy grow up a little, but this was too much. The look in Loki's eyes was not something that should belong to someone of his age. The look in his eyes showed a darker side of him - a side that knew pain - a side that knew death - a side to fear...

Loki blinked his eyes, and just like that, that look which troubled Thor so much was gone. Replaced with a cheerful look that was close to that of his old self. It was close, but not the same. That new being Thor had just caught a glimpse of still lurked in him somewhere, but for now, Loki was back to the mischievous kid he'd always been.

Loki knew there was something different about himself now too. And he could tell from the look on Thor's face that he didn't like it. He wasn't so sure he liked it too well either. He figured it was best to push it down and try to ignore it for now. He was getting tired, and this was a problem for another time.

"Help me up. I would like to go outside for a short while before it gets dark. I think I have been inside more than my fair share lately." Loki said with a bright smile on his face. Thor returned the smile as he moved to help him up.

The two brothers headed outside towards the gardens where they had played when they were smaller. It was nice to be in such a familiar place after all the chaos they had been through recently. Here, they were safe. Able to cast their troubles aside for the time being, Loki and Thor talked and laughed as if nothing bad had happened and as if Loki had not been dying only a short time earlier. Loki was alive, and Thor had not lost his little brother. For now, the two brothers would simply enjoy this company they had come so close to losing forever.

* * *

**Author's Notes: ****The end. :')**

**The end of my first story...both a happy and sad moment here... I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as well.**

**I'm wanting to start on another story soon, but I don't know what to write about yet. So, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for something you would like to see written, feel free to let me know in a review or message or just whatever works for you.**


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